]]>Because we view players in the NBA as distant superstar athletes, it is hard to remember that players like Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons and Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell are still college-aged kids. Towns would be a senior at the University of Kentucky; Simmons would be a junior at Louisiana State University; and Mitchell would be a junior at the University of Louisville. These players are not alone. Roughly 16 percent of players in the NBA are between 18-22 years old. As college superstars, some of them saw themselves as normal college kids — our peers, even. “We are both humans, both college kids, both trying to get through college,” Atlanta Hawks rookie power forward John Collins, 20, told the Wheel. “I just happen to play basketball.” Yet, they aren’t unaware of their distinct situation. “Obviously when you’re an athlete, people look at you a little bit differently,” fellow Hawks rookie power forward Tyler Cavanaugh, 24, added.Indeed, many “one-and-done”s treat college as a stepping stone to fulfill their childhood dreams of playing in the NBA, and leave college after only one year. Boston Celtics rookie forward Jayson Tatum told the Associated Press as much when he decided to enter the NBA after spending one year at Duke University (N.C.). “I'm excited to take the next step in pursuing my lifelong dream of playing basketball at the highest possible level," Tatum said.Surely, there were other factors at work for Tatum. For many highly recruited players out of high school like Tatum, failure to declare after just one year of college ball may entail a lower draft spot, which can lead players to miss out on millions of dollars.For others, like longtime NBA center Kwame Brown who didn’t even go to college, turning pro is about finally being able to make money to provide for themselves and their families. Many players may have the aspiration to play in the NBA. However, only 60 players are drafted into the NBA annually, only 114 rookies have played in a game this season and only 500 players play in the league. So before a player decides to actively pursue this dream, he must be one of the500 best basketball players in the world and one of the best 100 players who aren’t already in the NBA, otherwise leaving college early would be fruitless. Next, a player requests early status from the NBA commissioner at least 60 days before the draft. Typically, players also request an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee, a group of heads of basketball operations from NBA teams. Because they have scouted most of the college players all year, they will have a consensus on where a player will be drafted — in the lottery, top 10, first round, second round or undrafted. They will give this information to the player, who will then decide whether or not to stay in school or declare for the draft. NBA teams then decide collectively who are the 70 athletes they want to invite to the NBA Draft Combine, where pro scouts evaluate and interview players. For the next 10 days, players can choose to either stay in the draft or return to school. If they choose to stay in the draft, they typically hire an agent.Once hired, the agent and the player arrange private workouts with teams. The number varies. For some players like Steph Curry, Towns and Lonzo Ball, that may only be one team. Yet there are others like Miami Heat rookie guard Derrick Walton Jr. who can’t even recall the number.From there, players finally get drafted into the Association. On the court, they need to make a mental adjustment. “All these guys are pros, the best in the world,” Collins said. “When you go from playing against kids to grown men in the snap of a finger, it wakes you up really quickly and lets you know about the intensity and the focus that goes into every play, and there’s a ton of it.”That mental shift also comes with their approach to the game. “Being a pro, there’s pressure everyday to keep getting better and keep paying your rent each day so you can earn your worth,” Cavanaugh said.Then there is a change in lifestyle. “In college, they pretty much have everything scheduled for you — classes, study hall, practice, travel,“ Cavanaugh said. “When you’re a pro, you have a lot more free time and down time.” With their newfound freedom, the rookies said they like to explore their new cities. Some like to play video games while others like Cavanaugh like to “watch Netflix and chill.”Nevertheless, having all that newfound freedom can be overwhelming. “Sometimes you go blank and got to sit there and figure out what you want to do with all that free time,” Collins said with a chuckle.Like most things in their lives, I wish I could relate.

]]>http://emorywheel.com/27885-2/feed/0Hawks Humbled, Ready for Rebuildhttp://emorywheel.com/hawks-humbled-ready-for-rebuild/
http://emorywheel.com/hawks-humbled-ready-for-rebuild/#respondSat, 14 Apr 2018 20:21:44 +0000http://emorywheel.com/?p=27820In the final NBA game played at Philips Arena prior to the upcoming $192 million renovation project, the Atlanta Hawks tacked on one more to the loss column with a 121-113 defeat at the hands of the surging Philadelphia 76ers on April 10. The win marked the 15th straight win for Philadelphia, a new franchise […]

]]>[caption id="attachment_27822" align="aligncenter" width="731"] Atlanta Hawks small forward Taurean Prince shoots from deep in a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 10. Prince shot a franchise record 18 three-pointers in the loss. Kevin Kilgour/Former Sports Editor[/caption]
In the final NBA game played at Philips Arena prior to the upcoming$192 million renovation project, the Atlanta Hawks tacked on one more to the loss column with a 121-113 defeat at the hands of the surging Philadelphia 76ers on April 10. The win marked the 15th straight win for Philadelphia, a new franchise record, while Atlanta finishes its season with a total of 24.The first quarter saw a relaxed Hawks team keep pace with a heavyweight Sixers team focused on escaping with a valuable win. An early sequence exemplified the atmosphere: With a free lane to the rim, 76ersself-proclaimed Rookie of the Year point guard Ben Simmons layed in a cautious two-handed dunk. Faced with a similar situation just minutes later, Hawks small forward Taurean Prince tossed an alley-oop to power forward John Collins for a tomahawk slam.The jam set the tone early for the Hawks. After his 33-point performance against the Boston Celtics on April 8, Prince continued to impress. He led the Hawks in scoring with 27 points, including a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter, which garnered a 32-27 lead.“It feels good, gives me a lot of confidence going into the summer,” Prince said of his recent performances.Philadelphia shooting guard J.J. Redick answered with some sharp shooting of his own. His 15 points in the first half led the way for the Sixers, who held a slim 61-55 lead at halftime. Redick finished with a game-high 28 points, shooting six of nine from behind the arc.A total of 18 turnovers, combined with frustration technical fouls by Simmons and Redick, kept Atlanta within reach. Nevertheless, three-point shooting and a balanced scoring effort with key contributions from Philadelphia shooting guard Marco Belinelli (20 points) and former Hawk power forward Ersan Ilyasova (26 points) proved enough to down the short-handed Hawks.The loss puts to bed a season that Hawks fans would rather soon forget. Atlanta closed out the year with a 24-58 record, good for last place in the Eastern conference, tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the third worst record in the NBA. “[We] always want to do better than we did this year, but it’s all about progression,” Collins said. “We are young.”The Hawks hold a 42.3 percent chance of claiming a top-three pick in the 2018 draft, and a 13.7 percent shot at the No. 1 pick, according to Bleacher Report. Hawks fans can also celebrate the Minnesota Timberwolves’ win over the Denver Nuggets on April 12, which clinched a playoff spot for Minnesota and, in doing so, dealt the team’s first-round pick to Atlanta. In addition to the Rockets’ first-round pick, Atlanta now holds three of the first 30 picks in the 2018 Draft.
[caption id="attachment_27821" align="aligncenter" width="713"] 76ers rookie point guard Ben Simmons discusses the Rookie of the Year Award in a post-game interview. Courtesy of David Nifong[/caption]
It was a rough year for Hawks fans, but Head Coach Mike Budenholzer expressed his pride in the team’s work ethic, spirit and growth, despite the rebuilding season.“How [the team] worked tonight, just laying it all on the line — it’s reflective of what they did all year, so I couldn’t be more proud,” Budenholzer said. “The development of a lot of players individually is something that we take a lot of pride in, and it gives us a lot to look forward to.”Philadelphia still needed one more win on April 11 to secure the No. 3 seed in the East, which they managed to obtain rather handily in a 130-95 annihilation of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Sixers close the regular season with a 52-30 record and will match with the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

And One:

Utah Jazz rookie shooting guard Donovan Mitchell represents Simmons’ greatest competition for the 2018 Rookie of the Year award. Prior to the Jazz’s game against the Golden State Warriors on April 10, Mitchell wore a sweatshirt sporting the definition of a rookie: “An athlete playing his or her first season as a member of a professional sports team.” The sweatshirt was a dig at Simmons, who qualifies as a rookie despite it being his second year in the league.“If that’s the only argument he has, I’m in pretty good shape,” Simmons said in response. “There’s a [rookie] rule in the NBA for a reason. I’m not gonna wear a sweatshirt tomorrow, though.”As for Collins’ pick?“I’mma be biased here and go with my man, Don,” Collins said.

]]>http://emorywheel.com/hawks-humbled-ready-for-rebuild/feed/0Bench-pressed: Short-handed Hawks Can’t Handle the Heathttp://emorywheel.com/27703-2/
http://emorywheel.com/27703-2/#respondSat, 07 Apr 2018 00:56:50 +0000http://emorywheel.com/?p=27703Fresh off punching their ticket to the playoffs in Miami with a Tuesday night win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Miami Heat breezed to another 115-86 victory on Wednesday night in Atlanta, improving their record to 43-36, while the Hawks fell to 22-57. The game was a test of depth, as key players from both […]

]]>Fresh off punching their ticket to the playoffs in Miami with a Tuesday night win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Miami Heat breezed to another 115-86 victory on Wednesday night in Atlanta, improving their record to 43-36, while the Hawks fell to 22-57.The game was a test of depth, as key players from both teams were out with injuries. The Hawks played without their regular starters — point guard Dennis Schroder and shooting guard Kent Bazemore — while the Heat were down point guard Goran Dragic, forward James Johnson and shooting guard Dwyane Wade.“We think it’s smart [for these guys] just to take a day, get treatment and re-evaluate,” Miami Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game.The entire Heat bench, led by center Kelly Olynyk (19 points, eight rebounds and five assists) and forward Justise Winslow (18 points and five assists), stepped up to power the Heat to victory. The role players outscored the Hawks bench 69-34. Olynyk sparked the first-half, game-changing run. He scored 12 straight points on four threes, highlighted by rookie power forward Bam Adebayo’s emphaticblock (0:34) which led to a fast break pull-up three for Olynyk. Olynyk’s production transformed a 36-28 Hawks lead into a 48-40 Heat advantage.In the second half, Winslow carried the team. His nine points and three assists in the second half of the third quarter allowed for a Heat explosion from a precarious 64-60 advantage to an 84-68 lead to end the third quarter. Because they were playing their second game in as many nights, the Hawks’ energy began to wane midway through the third quarter. “The dam broke,”Atlanta Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said. “The gas tank hit empty.” The team played hard and kept the game competitive for the first half, but their shots just wouldn’t fall in the second half.But the night wasn’t all bad for Hawks fans. While one fan won a Kia during halftime, Hawks small forward Taurean Prince had an efficient 20 points on 8-14 shooting. In addition, Hawks rookie shooting guard Damion Lee, making only ninth start of the season in his 12th game with the team after coming up from the G League, scored nine of the team’s first 13 points, racking up 15 total.Lee’s fast start clearly indicates he isn’t afraid of the NBA competition. “I just come out here and play with confidence,” Lee said. “Everyone that’s on the team has told me [to] do what got you here. Go out there and just hoop.”Unfortunately, when Prince’s and Lee’s shots went cold in the third quarter, the Hawks couldn’t stay in the game. The Heat tore a 45-14 run to ensure the blowout.Nevertheless, the fact that Prince and Lee, who have only been in the NBA for a combined three seasons, are already making important contributions against a quality opponent like the Heat is a great sign for the team, even if their efforts don’t translate to wins. But the Hawks still need to find a franchise player in the upcoming NBA draft. The worse their record, the more likely the team will end up with a high draft spot to select a franchise player that will help bring the Hawks back to the playoffs.The Hawks will play the Washington Wizards in Washington, D.C., on April 6 at 7 p.m.

]]>http://emorywheel.com/27703-2/feed/0Dorsey, Collins Lift Hawks in Magic Matchuphttp://emorywheel.com/27655-2/
http://emorywheel.com/27655-2/#respondWed, 04 Apr 2018 04:45:56 +0000http://emorywheel.com/?p=27655In a tight battle between two NBA featherweights, the Atlanta Hawks scored a slim 94-88 victory over the slumping Orlando Magic at Philips Arena on April 1. It was the 11th loss in 13 games for Orlando, who inched nearer to Atlanta for the coveted last-place spot in the Eastern Conference standings. With various injuries […]

]]>[caption id="attachment_27664" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Hawks rookie shooting guard Tyler Dorsey goes in for a field goal in a matchup against the Orlando Magic at the Philips Arena on April 1. Dorsey finished with a team-high of 19 points on eight of 11 shooting off the bench. Kevin Kilgour/Senior Staff Writer[/caption]
In a tight battle between two NBA featherweights, the Atlanta Hawks scored a slim 94-88 victory over the slumping Orlando Magic at Philips Arena on April 1. It was the 11th loss in 13 games for Orlando, who inched nearer to Atlanta for the coveted last-place spot in the Eastern Conference standings.With various injuries (of varying legitimacy) plaguing the two squads, the starting lineups for Sunday’s matchup read more appropriately as a distasteful April Fool’s joke. Point guard Dennis Schroder and shooting guard Kent Bazemore will sit out for the remainder of the Hawks’ season, leaving Atlanta to field a starting lineup with a combined six years of NBA experience against Orlando. The lack of experience was evident early in Sunday’s contest, as Atlanta struggled with shot selection — that is, until Atlanta power forward and rookie phenom John Collins drove the lane for an authoritativeone-handed slam. The play was a turning point for Atlanta: From then on, the offense found its flow. For a team lacking experience, Atlanta played an effective pass-first offense that created a healthy dose of open looks. Atlanta finished the game shooting 48.2 percent from the field off 33 assists, compared to Orlando’s 34.4 percent shooting off 19 assists. The Hawks led at the half, 56-43. “We came out moving the ball, spreading the ball, playing as a team,” Collins said. “Everybody got pass-happy. That’s how basketball is supposed to be: fun, moving the ball, everybody gets involved.”Orlando pushed back in the second half, but poor shooting —due in part to a shifty defensive scheme that showed both man-to-man and a rare NBA zone —kept the visitors unsettled. Star forward Aaron Gordon connected on only four of 13 shots for a meager 10 points, but no Magic player struggled as mightily as center Nikola Vucevic, who made only three of his 19 field goal attempts.Despite a dismal shooting performance, Orlando stuck around. But with the Magic trailing by just two points late in the fourth quarter, Atlanta rookie shooting guard Tyler Dorsey scored five straight points to close the deal. His three-pointer with a minute and 59 seconds remaining pushed the lead back to five, followed quickly by a driving lay-in on the Hawks’ next possession that suddenly put Atlanta safely up seven.“I seen [sic] that I had a mismatch,” Dorsey said of his critical three-point bucket. “His hands was [sic] down, and I just let it fly. I work on that shot a lot.”Dorsey finished with a team-high of 19 points on eight of 11 shooting off the bench.
[caption id="attachment_27663" align="aligncenter" width="665"] Orlando power forward Jonathan Isaac watches in defensive mode as the Hawks attempt to tip-in. 13,587 seats out of the 21,000 in Philips Arena were filled that night during Atlanta's slim 94-88 victory. Kevin Kilgour/Senior Staff Writer[/caption]
Hawks shooting guard DeAndre’ Bembry returned to the floor for the first time in over a month on Sunday night. Bembry struggled with a multitude of injuries this season that limited him to just 21 games played prior to Sunday night’s meeting with the Magic. Bembry finished with four points, three assists and three rebounds in 14 minutes of play.“This life, you just gotta get through it and push through it,” Bembry said. “Mentally, I’m good now. I am just trying to physically get back out there.”The win halts Atlanta’s losing streak at five and improves their season record to 22-55, while Orlando inches closer to last place at 22-54. Next up for Atlanta is a home and away series against the Miami Heat, beginning on April 3 in Miami.

And One:

Atlanta tied the NBA record for fewest free throw attempts in a game, with only one attempt from the charity stripe. How strange is it to get to the line just one time over the course of a 48-minute game? “Very,” said Atlanta Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.Collins is shooting 58.6 percent from the field, which would be the third highest single season field goal percentage for a rookie, behind just Steve Johnson (61.3 percent) and Otis Thorpe (60 percent). Antoine Carr currently holds the record for the Hawks franchise, when he shot 52.8 percent as a rookie for the Hawks in 1984-85.

]]>http://emorywheel.com/27655-2/feed/0Emory Healthcare Partners with Atlanta Braveshttp://emorywheel.com/emory-healthcare-partners-with-atlanta-braves/
http://emorywheel.com/emory-healthcare-partners-with-atlanta-braves/#respondTue, 14 Mar 2017 19:06:39 +0000http://emorywheel.com/?p=24695The Atlanta Braves and Emory Healthcare (EHC) have teamed up in a new partnership that designates EHC as the official healthcare provider of Atlanta’s professional baseball team. EHC will provide the Braves with sports medicine treatment, muscular and skeletal support and general health care, according to Scott D. Boden, director of the Emory Orthopaedics and […]

]]>The Atlanta Braves and Emory Healthcare (EHC) have teamed up in a new partnership that designates EHC as the official healthcare provider of Atlanta’s professional baseball team.

EHC will provide the Braves with sports medicine treatment, muscular and skeletal support and general health care, according to Scott D. Boden, director of the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center. Emory physicians will be on the Braves’ sidelines during games and training to treat players’ injuries and advise the team on player recruitment based on their health, Boden said.

With the new partnership, the Braves join an EHC patient list that already includes athletes from the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Hawks.

Boden said he hoped to see a partnership between EHC and the Braves since he became a Braves fan when he moved to Atlanta in 1992. Last year, he met with members of the Braves executive team following the end of the team’s season, initiating the communication between the two organizations.

President of Business for the Braves Derek Schiller said that the Braves will receive “the best care possible,” and that he hopes Braves fans will appreciate and recognize the work of EHC.

The Braves will gain access to support from six hospitals, more than 200 EHC provider locations and more than 70 medical specialities offered by EHC, according to Boden. Additionally, EHC will open a new outpatient orthopaedics clinic in Smyrna, Ga., May 2017 near the Braves’ training locations to provide them with a closer treatment facility.

The Braves will also use Emory’s Sports Medicine Complex, which provides preventative and rehabilitative treatment as well as sports performance training technology, such as nutritional analysis and recovery equipment. The complex, scheduled to open Fall 2017, resulted from the partnership between EHC and the Atlanta Hawks, as reported by an April 2016 Wheel article.

Jonathan Lewin, president and CEO of EHC, said that the Sports Medicine Complex will help EHC achieve its goal of keeping Braves players healthy and “playing to their full potential.” Boden said that he hopes EHC and the Braves will eventually collaborate on sports medicine research.

]]>http://emorywheel.com/emory-healthcare-partners-with-atlanta-braves/feed/0Cleveland Cavaliers Overwhelm Atlanta Hawks 123-98 with NBA Record 25 Threeshttp://emorywheel.com/cleveland-cavaliers-thrash-the-atlanta-hawks-123-98-with-nba-record-25-threes/
http://emorywheel.com/cleveland-cavaliers-thrash-the-atlanta-hawks-123-98-with-nba-record-25-threes/#respondThu, 05 May 2016 06:23:09 +0000http://emorywheel.com/?p=22900CLEVELAND, OHIO – The Cleveland Cavaliers not only defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-98 Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena but they also broke the NBA single game 3-point record along the way with 25 threes. With the win, the Cavs take a strong series lead up 2-0 as they head to Atlanta on Friday to […]

]]>CLEVELAND, OHIO – The Cleveland Cavaliers not only defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-98 Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena but they also broke the NBA single game 3-point record along the way with 25 threes.
With the win, the Cavs take a strong series lead up 2-0 as they head to Atlanta on Friday to face the Hawks at Phillips Arena. Although it's still early in the series, after the Hawks’ previous two performances, it seems as if it could be over sooner rather than later.
The Hawks have been dealt a difficult matchup that has led to a disappointing start of this second round series. Now 0-10 against the Cavaliers in the playoffs, the Hawks are struggling to gain any traction against LeBron James. Hawks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer simply has not had an answer for James during the playoffs. We expected adjustments to be made, they were made, and they weren’t good enough.
Korver said earlier in the week that the Hawks would work to make James settle for jumpers rather than drive into the paint. In response, James went 4-6 from three.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="22917,22913,22908,22914,22910,22904,22911,22918"]
“We came in with a game plan that we thought was really good and we got discouraged real quick,” Hawks Center Al Horford said after the game. “We need to see what we can come up with as a group.”
The well-regarded Hawks defense did not live up to expectations tonight, allowing the Cavs to take a 74-38 lead at the half while shooting 66 percent from three and 50 percent from inside the arc. Atlanta’s scoring trouble continued in the first half as they shot only 34 percent inside and 18 percent from three.
Luckily for the Hawks, Cleveland’s scoring pace declined after James and the other Cavs starters were pulled early from the game. With the large deficit, Atlanta’s bench closed the gap slightly but seemingly never intended to come within striking distance. It’s been difficult for this Hawks team to cope with the fact that they are simply unable to compete with this Cavaliers team in the playoffs.
“You know, 10 [loses] in a row, there’s not much you can do,” Hawks Forward Kent Bazemore said. “You have to just keep playing, keep competing, play for pride.”
Unfortunately for the Hawks, not only was this a playoff game but as a three-point record came into view, the crowd became more and more antsy to see Cleveland shoot from downtown.
The Cavaliers completely dominated the game (up 40 points at one point) courtesy of the record breaking barrage from downtown that drained 25 three pointers (10 different players shot from deep to contribute to the record). Cavs Forward J.R. Smith ignited Cleveland’s three point circus early in the game ending seven of 13 from downtown. The previous all-time three-point single game record was 23.
“You don’t necessarily think you can have that type of performance but you just have to live in the moment,” Cavaliers Point Guard Kyrie Irving said post-game. “I really, truly appreciate what happened tonight. Everyone was making shots.”
James said following the game that the Cavaliers did not know that they were eclipsing in on the three-point record until it was announced on the arena PA that they had tied it. Having garnered a firm enough lead, James said the Cavs simply went for it. Following the game, he deflected comparisons to the Golden State Warriors, the poster child team for three-point shooting. “I don’t think we are [a three-point shooting team],” he said.
The Hawks will host the Cavs Friday night at Phillips Arena for game 3.
“They’re going to feel very comfortable going into their home building so we have to get better tomorrow,” James said. “We have to get better in shoot around on Friday and we have to prepare ourselves to go into a hostile environment and play that game as well.”

]]>http://emorywheel.com/cleveland-cavaliers-thrash-the-atlanta-hawks-123-98-with-nba-record-25-threes/feed/0The Atlanta Hawks: A Team Stuck in the Middlehttp://emorywheel.com/the-atlanta-hawks-mired-in-the-middle/
http://emorywheel.com/the-atlanta-hawks-mired-in-the-middle/#respondWed, 13 Apr 2016 13:37:26 +0000http://emorywheel.com/?p=22670The Atlanta Hawks have long been stuck in the middle — they seem to just exist in the current NBA landscape. Sure, they never finish last, but the last time the team won a championship was 1958. They have been the definition of average — never bad enough to have a chance at potential superstars […]

]]>The Atlanta Hawks have long been stuck in the middle — they seem to just exist in the current NBA landscape. Sure, they never finish last, but the last time the team won a championship was 1958. They have been the definition of average — never bad enough to have a chance at potential superstars in the draft, but never good enough to win it all.
Even last year, when we saw the Hawks emerge as possible title contenders for the first time in decades, they never had a realistic shot at the title. Despite the fact that they earned the best record in the Eastern Conference and the second best record in the NBA (behind the Golden State Warriors), they were never thought of as better than the Cleveland Cavaliers. After defeating both the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards in the first round and semifinals, respectively, the Hawks were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals, proving once again that they stand solidly outside the league’s elite. Even if they had managed to defeat the Cavs, few people, if any, would have given them a shot against a historically strong Warriors team, or any other team in the West’s upper crust for that matter.
To be fair, the Hawks were a very good team last year. They won 60 games, which is no small feat. They had a formidable core of guard Jeff Teague, forward Paul Millsap, center Al Horford and forward Kyle Korver. Under the leadership of Gregg Popovich’s protégé, head coach Mike Budenholzer, hope was on the horizon. However, that hope didn’t help the Hawks make it to the Finals.
Their trip to the conference finals looks even less impressive when you look at their series against the Wizards. The team relied on the heroics of Horford’s offensive rebound and buzzer beater in Game 3 to take the lead. Then, in Game 6, the Hawks received one of the luckiest breaks in NBA history when Wizards’ Paul Pierce’s game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer was deemed too late. The series between the Wizards and the Hawks was one of the closest in last year’s playoffs, with five of the six games won by six or less points and two games decided by buzzer beaters. What makes that all the more damning is the fact that the Wizards were without their superstar and best player, guard John Wall, for Games 2, 3 and 4. This is hardly the play of a team calling itself a contender.
Many NBA fans believe the Hawks overachieved last year during the regular season. Given how much they’ve regressed this year, there might be some truth there. While last year the Hawks won the Eastern Conference by seven games, they are currently fighting it out in the middle of the pack. At this point in time, the Hawks hold the No. 3 seed in the East with a 48-33 record, and they are within two games of the Charlotte Hornets, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in a heavy logjam between the 3 to 6 seeds in the East. While there’s a decent chance the Hawks can advance past the first round, it’s incredibly doubtful that they will advance past the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors that sit at the top of the conference. Even if they were able to win the East, it would be nothing short of impossible for them to defeat either the San Antonio Spurs or the Golden State Warriors in the finals.
Looking at the past 20 years, this is nothing new for the Hawks. They are an above average Eastern Conference team that consistently makes it to the playoffs but fails to win a championship. While there is value to always making the playoffs, never winning a championship takes its toll as well.
Since the 2008 season, the Hawks have made the playoffs every year. The farthest they’ve advanced before last season, however, was the conference semifinals. In four of those eight seasons, the Hawks lost in the first round. This has happened before: from 1993 to 1999, the Hawks made the playoffs every year yet never reached the conference finals.
Of course, there’s value in being a playoff team almost every year. The Hawks have absolutely no control over what happens in the rest of the league, particularly with superstars coming together to form a “big three” (as was the case with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and the Miami Heat in 2011). When things like that happen, sometimes all you can do is be competitive. Making the playoffs tends to be a signal of being at least an average to above average team, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re great either.
The Hawks have been one of the few teams, most notably the Dallas Mavericks, who have refused to follow the “contender or tank” formula that most of the NBA seem to have bought into. Most teams either maintain a cohesive roster and add solid free agents as championship contenders every year (the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors) or blow up their roster in exchange for future draft picks and young prospects (the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets). Often, these teams are near the bottom of the standings to procure favorable rookies in the draft. Teams in the middle, without many high first round picks and are not championship contenders, have an unpromising present and a horrid future. Namely, both New York franchises (the Nets and the Knicks) are stuck in this middle ground because of poor trades and bad management in general. As has increasingly become clear, it appears the only way to get superstars on your team is to already have one or to draft them. Although Atlanta is in a better situation than some of these franchises, the Hawks can’t seem to escape the middle ground for any serious length of time.
The effect of being such a mediocre team is apparent in its fan base. Since 2001, the Atlanta Hawks have been in the lower half of the NBA in average home attendance. This number is boosted by the two seasons in which they ranked 18th (2009-2019) and 17th (2014-2015). Discounting these exceptions, the Hawks have actually ranked in the lower third of the NBA since 2001. Of course, many other factors play into low attendance, such as the location of the team and the sports culture within the city. But if there’s one thing that championships do, it’s bring fans to the stadium. The Hawks have suffered from a simple reality: they’ve been boring.With another season of being stuck in the middle almost behind us, we can expect another first round or semifinal exit from the Hawks. While they have been competitive, they’ve never managed to put themselves ahead of the rest of the league. And while there is hope, there is no clear solution on the horizon. They are truly mired in mediocrity.

]]>http://emorywheel.com/the-atlanta-hawks-mired-in-the-middle/feed/0Hawks defeat Celtics to hold onto No. 3 seedhttp://emorywheel.com/hawks-defeat-celtics-to-hold-onto-no-3-seed/
http://emorywheel.com/hawks-defeat-celtics-to-hold-onto-no-3-seed/#respondMon, 11 Apr 2016 04:17:46 +0000http://emorywheel.com/?p=22642In a showdown between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics, Atlanta won a major victory in their march to the third seed 118-107. Both teams entered the game tied for third place in the Eastern Conference, so the win gave Atlanta sole possession of the seed. One name echoed throughout the Atlanta locker room: […]

In a showdown between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics, Atlanta won a major victory in their march to the third seed 118-107. Both teams entered the game tied for third place in the Eastern Conference, so the win gave Atlanta sole possession of the seed.

One name echoed throughout the Atlanta locker room: Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas. The current All-Star guard is finishing what may end up being an All-NBA season. The Hawks knew that holding Thomas in check would be a tall task, but it was necessary to win.

While most of the talk around the Celtics locker room focused on Hawks forward Kyle Korver, Atlanta’s sharp shooter, the Celtics’ defense was able to hold Korver scoreless throughout the entire first half.

Led by the strong play of guards Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schroder, the Hawks jumped out to an early lead. Schroder led the Hawks in the first quarter with eight points. While Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been called out for his prolonged shooting slump, he roared back in the late first quarter with two consecutive three-pointers to help the Celtics get back in the game. With the clock ticking, Schroder chucked up a deep buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Hawks a 34-32 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Celtics regained the lead in the early part of the second quarter. Nevertheless, the Hawks tied the game up at 48 with a three from forward Paul Millsap. Then, Hawks All-Star center Al Horford put up a layup and three-pointer to give the Hawks a comfortable five-point lead. Millsap, dominating both sides of the floor, was one rebound short of a double-double in the first half alone. The first half was all about offense, with both teams ending the half shooting better than 50 percent from the field.

With four three-pointers, Smart led the Celtics with 14 points in the first half. Smart had more points in just the first half than he had in the last nine games. Hawks guard Jeff Teague led the team with 16 points and five assists in the first half.

Right at the beginning of the second half, the change of pace was palpable. Whereas the first half was dominated by offense, the second took on a much more punishing and bruising style of play. Trading threes for aggressive moves to the paint, the Celtics’ lead rose as high as 12 points in the third quarter. However, Millsap and Korver brought the Hawks back to take a two-point lead with 33 seconds to go in the third quarter.

The Celtics managed to settle themselves, though, thanks to some great defensive play. To the Celtics’ dismay, two points was as close as the game would get. The Hawks quickly responded by taking a seven-point lead with 3:20 left in the game. The Celtics did not score for a span of almost three and half minutes in the late fourth quarter, allowing the Hawks to build a commanding lead. The Hawks’ strong finish allowed them to claim what could be a very important game in the battle for the third seed.

After allowing 71 first half points, the Hawks’ defense stifled the Celtics’ offense, allowing only 36 second half points. After shooting well over 55 percent in the first, the Celtics barely managed to shoot 31 percent from the field in the second half.

When asked about their collapse in the second half, Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens said, “We ran out of shots quicker than they did.”

While Stevens would not fault fatigue for the lack of second half productivity, the Hawks clearly noticed the toll a back-to-back took on the Celtics.

Bazemore, who finished with 21 points, acknowledged his own fatigue coming off an injury, but believed the rest really helped him. Bazemore commented, “It’s amazing what one game of restcan do for you.”

With all the talk of playoff readiness, both teams look to solidify home-court advantage and the necessary rest to prepare for what will definitely be a competitive playoff atmosphere.

The Hawks will retake the court on Monday, April 11 when they play the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, in what very well could be a preview of a second round playoff matchup.

]]>http://emorywheel.com/hawks-defeat-celtics-to-hold-onto-no-3-seed/feed/0Emory, Atlanta Hawks Announce New Joint Sports Medicine Facilityhttp://emorywheel.com/emory-atlanta-hawks-announce-new-joint-sports-medicine-facility/
http://emorywheel.com/emory-atlanta-hawks-announce-new-joint-sports-medicine-facility/#respondWed, 06 Apr 2016 05:40:10 +0000http://emorywheel.com/?p=22576Emory Healthcare and the Atlanta Hawks announced yesterday that the two organizations will partner to construct a 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art practice facility that will house both the Hawks’ Basketball Operations Department and Emory’s Sports Medicine Center. According to an April 5 Hawks press release, “The goal was to design a facility that could fully service the […]

]]>Emory Healthcare and the Atlanta Hawks announced yesterday that the two organizations will partner to construct a 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art practice facility that will house both the Hawks’ Basketball Operations Department and Emory’s Sports Medicine Center.According to an April 5 Hawks press release, “The goal was to design a facility that could fully service the best athletes in the world and provide the optimal environment for comprehensive player development and also serve as a sports science and research mecca.”With the announcement, Emory will become the official sports medicine provider of the Hawks. “It’s huge,” Hawks forward Kent Bazemore said in an interview with the Wheel. “[Emory] is strictly medicine and with the way medicine has been going over the last few years and has been integrated into basketball, it’s important that here in Atlanta the team uses [Emory] as a resource.”The Hawks hope to break ground on the new facility at its Brookhaven, Ga. location this summer after the National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft and hope to have it ready for the 2017 NBA season.Upgrading the practice facilities has been a long-term objective of Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler since the first time he toured the current facility.“When we became owners, one of our top priorities was to provide the resources necessary to build a world-class training facility — a key element of being a first-class franchise that consistently competes at the highest level. We are thrilled with the partnership that [Hawks CEO Steven Koonin] and [Hawks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer] have forged with [Director of the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center and Chief Medical Officer of the Emory University Orthopaedics and Spine HospitalScott Boden] and the Emory team in developing a new facility that will be at the forefront of how professional teams approach integrating sports medical technology in their training centers,” Ressler said in the Hawks press release. Previous NBA teams have already developed similar partnerships, including the Cleveland Cavaliers with the Cleveland Clinic and the Minnesota Timberwolves with the Mayo Clinic.However, the Hawks’ new facility is the first of its kind in that it will be the first to co-locate with both partners. The Hawks will move all Basketball Operations personnel to the facility, and Emory will move their entire team of sports medicine doctors, surgeons and specialists. Thirty thousand square feet of the facility will be dedicated solely to Emory.
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Emory sports medicine doctors will see their patients in the new facility, allowing patients to be treated where their favorite players are being treated, according to the press release. “Emory Healthcare has built outstanding orthopaedics services over the past decade, and we are excited to continue to grow this area and work closely with the Atlanta Hawks,” President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Emory Healthcare Jonathan S. Lewin said in the Hawks’ press release. “Delivering on-site care not only will enable us to provide faster care to Hawks players, but also will enhance our ability to conduct sports performance research and translate what we learn to all athletes both professional and recreational.”The facility will include state-of-the-art equipment such as the 3 Tesla MRI scanner, which offers the fastest diagnoses of soft-tissue and bone-bruise injuries, 3D motion capture and force plates that will allow physicians to “measure joint stress and on-site blood and sweat testing and analysis for nutritional defects,” according to the press release. The new facility will require hiring 200 new employees to work both part time and full time at the facility. The Hawks and Emory will hire 65 and 75 part-time positions, respectively, and both will add 50 full-time employees to help run the new center.“[Emory] will give us the cheat codes to living longer, living healthier,” Bazemore said. “With this game, it demands so much attention to your body; it’s important that they get [Emory staff] in here to keep the players at a high level.”